A pay-as-you-go or pay-per-use business model for the distribution of personal computers is built on the notion of collecting funds on an on-going basis in exchange for beneficial use of the computer or some component thereof. When the pay-per-use funding or pre-paid time period is about to expire, the user is given a chance to “recharge” the account to assure uninterrupted use of the computer. However, a situation arises when the funding or usage time period expires before the account is recharged. Completely disabling the computer may prevent the user from adding value and restoring operation. On the other hand, sanctions that allow the user limited use of the computer, in theory to allow recharging, may encourage non-payment when the limited use allows enough functionality to satisfy the user.
Additionally, when the system is deactivated, in addition to allowing reactivation it should also allow for maintenance, for example, defragmenting a disk drive, and troubleshooting, e.g. network subsystem. Therefore there is a need to block beneficial use of the computer after subscribed usage has expired, while allowing processes used for maintenance or reactivation of the computer when the subscription terms are satisfied.